Islamist Extremism |  | Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, via ABC 7 mysuncoast.com screenshot | Florida ISIS Man Sentenced for Planning Attack in Tampa Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, 26, of Tampa, Fla., has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Al-Azhari had previously spent time in prison in Saudi Arabia for supporting terrorism in Syria before being removed to the U.S. In 2020, Al-Azhari began to plan attacks in support of ISIS and scouted locations in the Tampa Bay area for potential targets. He was arrested in May 2020, when he attempted to buy guns and a silencer from an undercover FBI agent. Read More ISIS Fighter, Recruiter, and Smuggler From Brooklyn Given Life Sentence Mirsad Kandic, 41, of Brooklyn and Kosovo, Serbia, has been sentenced to life in prison for providing material support to ISIS. Kandic traveled to Syria in 2013, joined ISIS, and became a fighter, smuggler, and propagandist for the group. He recruited foreign fighters, including Jake Bilardi from Australia, who carried out a suicide truck attack in Iraq, killing himself and others. Kandic provided battlefield intelligence, managed money, and smuggled weapons for ISIS. Read More | | | | | Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism |  | Daniel Walls - Columbia Police Department via Fox 17 WZTV Nashville screenshot | Two Arrested in Connection to KKK Flyers Two individuals, identified as 38-year-old Daniel Walls and a 17-year-old white male, have been arrested in connection with the distribution of Ku Klux Klan flyers in Columbia, Tenn. The Columbia Police Department, in cooperation with the Maury County Sheriff's Department, has been actively investigating the incident and announced the arrests during a press conference. The flyers contained hateful messages targeting African American churches and warned of the presence of the KKK in the area. An email address was provided on the flyer. Read More 6 Patriot Front Members Arrested for Plan to Riot at Idaho Pride Event - Six members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front are going on trial for a misdemeanor count of conspiracy to riot after being arrested near a Pride event in northern Idaho in June 2022.
- The defendants include Devin W. Center, James J. Johnson, Cameron K. Pruitt, Forrest C. Rankin, Derek J. Smith, and Robert B. Whitted. They face up to a year in jail if convicted.
- Alexander N. Sisenstein, another defendant in the case, pleaded guilty to a count of disturbing the peace and received a suspended jail sentence and two years of unsupervised probation. Other Utah men are also awaiting trial in connection with the incident. Read More
North Carolina Man Sentenced for Role in Jan. 6 Riot Matthew Jason Beddingfield, of North Carolin, has been sentenced to 38 months in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Beddingfield pleaded guilty to the felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. He jumped over a barricade, charged toward Capitol Police officers, and attacked them with a metal flagpole and a metal rod. Beddingfield entered the Capitol building, joined a group of rioters attempting to storm the Senate wing, and assisted in pushing against police officers. He spent approximately 30 minutes inside the Capitol and about two hours on the restricted grounds. Read More Antifa Rioter Scheduled for Trial Alissa Eleanor Azar, a self-proclaimed Antifa leader, is scheduled to go on trial in September for felony rioting charges stemming from a June 2021 Antifa riot in Oregon City's Clackamette Park. Azar faces additional felony charges in progressive Multnomah County, including riot, robbery, assault, and tampering with physical evidence, related to a downtown Antifa attack on street preachers in August 2022. Azar's involvement in Antifa has drawn criticism, with allegations that she presents a journalistic facade while coordinating and participating in violent acts. Her previous Antifa-related charges were dropped, but she now faces serious charges in the current cases. Read More | | |  | Hate Crimes |  | Andrey Desmond at a Connecticut court hearing - via NBC Connecticut screenshot | Additional Charges for Suspect in Attack on State Representative Andrey Desmond, the man accused of attacking state representative Maryam Khan outside a Muslim prayer service in Hartford, Ct., now faces additional charges of three counts of sexual assault and three charges of physical assault. Protesters outside the courthouse called for Desmond to be charged with a hate crime, as they believe he targeted Khan because of her religion. However, Desmond is not currently charged with a hate crime. Read More | | |  | Hostile Foreign Influence Operations |  | Vadim Konoshchenok - via CBSNews.com screenshot | Russian Intelligence Operative Extradited to the US Russian citizen Vadim Konoshchenok has been extradited from Estonia to the U.S. and faces charges related to a global procurement and money laundering network on behalf of the Russian government. Konoshchenok is alleged to have smuggled illicit munitions in support of Russia's war efforts and used front companies to conceal his activities. The charges include conspiracy, violating U.S. export controls, economic sanctions, and other criminal statutes. The indictment claims that Konoshchenok and his co-defendants were affiliated with companies operating under the direction of Russian intelligence services, procuring advanced electronics and testing equipment for Russia's military industrial complex and research sector. The indictment also highlights his alleged ties to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and his role in smuggling U.S.-origin items into Russia via Estonia. Read More Think Tank Director Indicted for Acting as Unregistered Foreign Agent - Gal Luft, co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a Maryland-based think tank, has been indicted on multiple charges related to international criminal schemes.
- The charges include willful failure to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), arms trafficking, Iranian sanctions violations, and making false statements to federal agents.
- Luft is accused of conspiring to advance the interests of China in the U.S., illicitly brokering arms transactions, and attempting to broker deals for Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
- Luft has made allegations of corruption against Biden family members, and Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said he hoped to interview Luft as part of his investigation into the Biden family. Read More
Chinese Hackers Breach US Commerce Chief’s Emails - U.S. Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo was among senior U.S. officials whose emails were hacked by a group based in China, according to a person briefed on the matter.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed to China's top diplomat that any action targeting the U.S. government, companies, or citizens is a matter of concern and that appropriate action will be taken.
- Microsoft revealed a Chinese hacking operation that exploited a flaw in its software to break into email accounts of 25 organizations, including the Commerce Department, State Department, and U.S. House of Representatives. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the accusations as "disinformation." Read More
| | |  | Research and Trends in Extremism |  | Threads logo - Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images | Groups Express Concern Over Hate Speech and Extremism on Threads Meta's new social platform, Threads, has faced criticism for its lack of adequate policies and measures to address hate speech, extremism, and misinformation, similar to the issues that have plagued Twitter. Civil rights groups and advocates have expressed concerns about Meta's failure to extend fact-checking programs to Threads and its removal of a policy to warn users of serial misinformers. The platform has also been accused of hosting hate speech, election lies, COVID-19 conspiracies, and other toxic content. Meta's firing of members of a mis- and disinformation team prior to Threads' launch has raised further concerns. The Anti-Defamation League is monitoring the platform's policies on hate speech, protection, and privacy, while noting instances of Threads exposing vulnerable users to hate and harassment. Read More |  | Have You Found A Story You Think We Should Cover? | If you see an article on violent extremism in the U.S. or hostile foreign influence that is reliable, timely, and fits into one of the six categories that we cover in this newsletter, please send us a note, either by replying directly to this email or by submitting a contact form under the appropriate "news tip" category. | | | | | QUOTABLE “Much has been written and published on the federal Constitution, and the necessity of checks in all other parts of good government ... but I have been at a loss to imagine any [checks on freedom of the press] that may not be construed an infringement of the sacred liberty of the press.”
- Benjamin Franklin
| | | NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked. | | | | |
